


Hakouki Shadows of the Past

by EnnaYork



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-09-28 08:28:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20422937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnnaYork/pseuds/EnnaYork
Summary: When a spell is miscast, high school student Haruka finds herself dragged back in time by nearly two hundred years. Unable to find out who summoned her or why it seems that she had been stranded with no hope of finding her way back. When all seems bleak her disguise offers her an opportunity she never dreamed she'd be given, the chance to study with the notorious Shinsengumi. Taking a roll as a page she braces herself for the war she knows is looming. However, with the arrival of the doctor's daughter Yukimura Chizuru, Haruka uncovers plots of human experimentation, demon uprisings and mysterious blood lines. Everything she'd thought she'd known about history is about to get turned up on its head. And the more time she spends trapped in the past, the more reasons she finds to stay.





	1. Chapter 1

As Haru stepped out of the doors of her Karate dojo she found herself blinking in the harsh sunlight of the afternoon. Since it was Saturday she’d been there since the dojo had opened early in the morning, by now it was into the late afternoon. She was tired, sore and sweaty from a combination of participating in classes and helping run them. She was in such a rush to get home she’d even skipped getting changed and opted for walking home in her sweaty gi.  
She lifted her hand up to block the light from her eyes as she held the door open for her best friend. Samantha bounced out of the door with her flaming red pony tail bouncing behind her. She’d finished her classes before Haru but since she’d chosen to shower and change they ended up leaving together. Sam smiled as she adjusted her small little floral back pack on her back. It seemed to have a million tiny charms dangling off of all of its zippers. Many of them were gifts that Haru had bought Sam over the years.  
Haru let the door swing shut and rolled her shoulders out with a groan. She was looking forward to a long warm shower at home to relax her poor exhausted muscles. With a grunt she heaved her heavy duffle bag that was full to the seams with equipment up over her shoulder.  
“Haru you were amazing out there like always, I’m just so jealous of you.” Samantha gushed to her eagerly, “You make karate class seem so easy.”  
“Now you’re just exaggerating. It’s just that I’ve been practicing for years now.” Haru insisted waving her hand dismissively. Embarrassed at how much the other girls in her class fawned over her martial arts skills. It made her extremely uncomfortable because it reminded her of how unfeminine she was. When Haru was a little girl she wanted nothing more than to be a boy like her six older brothers. Wrestling and playing in the mud. But now that she was older all she wanted to be was girly.  
“No really! It’s not that you’ve been doing it for so long, it’s just for your age you’re so amazing!” Samantha explained leaping onto Haru’s arm to give it a firm squeeze, “How many seventeen year olds can say they’re a nidan?”  
Haru laughed uncomfortably, “It’s just because I’ve had my junior black belt since I was eleven that they waved the three year waiting period after I got my first degree black belt.” She said trying to change the subject from herself absolutely embarrassed, “I’m sure if you started at the same time as me you’d kick my ass just like you do in swimming.”  
“I want to be just like you. What you showed me in class was absolutely fantastic!” Samantha continued oblivious to her friend’s embarrassment.  
“I’m sure that with time that you’ll become just like me. I mean you just started about a few months ago, these things take time. And you’re coming along quite well.” Haru stated. Not that you’d want to be me Samantha because that means you have to stop wearing those dresses that you like she thought to herself glumly. Haru tried to distract herself with thinking about how far Samantha had come. At the start of their last summer vacation the two friends thought it’d be a fun challenge to try out a sport that the other one practiced. So Saturday mornings Samantha tagged along with Haru to Karate and Kobudo class, and on Sunday Haru followed Sam to the pools.  
“I recommended to Sensei that you should be in the next grading by the way. You’re more than ready to get your first kyu belt,” Haru remembered glancing at Samantha from the corner of her eye. She watched the smile stretch across Samantha’s face.  
Her best friend squealed excitedly as she bounced up and down. She was the epitome of girliness in Haru’s opinion. With absolutely adorable fire red hair and matching bright emerald green eyes and long lashes. Samantha more often than not wore frilly girly clothes. She preferred shorter dresses or skirts to show off her long glorious glamazon legs. She’d been in a handful of beauty pageants and had the crowns proudly displayed on a shelf in her pretty pink bedroom. She was always giggling and flirting. The boys in their class fawned over her.  
Samantha was amazing at makeup. And it didn’t hurt that her parents bought her the expensive brands. Her pageant background and religious following of beauty icons meant she didn’t look like a clown when she tried to paint her face. Something Haru couldn’t claim to do. Haru could fix most problems a car will ever encounter, clean a gun, and was a pretty decent hunter. But she doubted any of that was going to help her win a beauty pageant or get a boyfriend any time soon.  
“It’s all thanks to you teaching me! I’m getting my red belt! I can’t believe it!” Samantha gushed as she released Haru’s arm. Haru sighed and rubbed at her arm that was sore. How is that I can take a punch from my brothers but Samantha’s grip hurts horribly. She’s even in a purple summer dress with flowers on it Haru remarked to herself in her head.  
“Well you’ve worked super hard for it.” Haru encouraged scratching at the back of her head.  
“Hey Haru, I’ve got a question.” Samantha started Haru hmmed for her to continue, “I’ve been having problems with my gi top, it keeps opening in class. I mean I wear a tank top and everything; but still it seems like such a girl problem. You’re like the only girl I can ask.”  
The problem that most female martial artists shall encounter. The fact that the uniforms are ‘unisex’, in other words made for a man’s body. I’m surprised that it took Samantha so long to ask me about this. Her mind traced back to that awkward period of time when puberty finally hit and she was experiencing wardrobe malfunctions in class. She didn’t have someone else to ask at the time and came up with the solution herself.  
“Oh that’s easy! You just add a few stitches to the top of your gi and it’ll keep it closed for you.” Haru answered, “I can sew it for you!” she offered excitedly.  
It was the one girly thing that she could manage and it made her beam with pride whenever she could show off her skills. With her brothers constantly ruining her clothes and stuffed animals she taught herself through trial and error.  
“Thanks, you’re like the sister and the brother I’ve never had all in one!” Samantha exclaimed. As an only child her parents treated her like their little princess. She always had brand new clothes, and the latest and greatest toys and technology. For her last birthday she got a brand new car, and the two girlfriends got to go on a trip to New York together.  
Haru always preferred when they went to Sam’s house for study sessions since it was quiet there. Usually the two of them home alone with the maid for company. And Sam’s house had a real office with a desk large enough for the two of them to work separately.  
Growing up with six siblings and one parent meant Haru was left to her own devices for most of her childhood and hand me downs were a familiar sight. In fact her duffle bag was her eldest brother’s hockey bag many years ago that Haru had patched together with fabric from someone’s old lacrosse bag. Despite living in a large farm house, every free room was a bed room and the place was always buzzing with noise and activity.  
“Glad to be a brother and sister.” Haru answered shifting her heavy dojo bag on her shoulder, “This is your place right Samantha?” Haru asked coming to a stop in front of her friend’s house.  
It was true she acted brotherly around her girlfriends. She warded off troublesome boys, she was always called on for her brute strength, and she even walked them home from school to make sure they got home safe. Most of it came as an unconscious tick she didn’t think about. Moving to the back of the group of girls to watch them all at once and scan for danger, walking along the curb when walking shoulder to shoulder with a friend, opening jars. It was something she was both thankful and regretful that her brothers had rubbed off on her.  
“Thank you for walking me home Haru. You make me feel so safe when you do that.” Samantha insisted and dashed off to her front door waving over her shoulder as she went.  
“Bye Sammy!” Haru shouted shifting her heavy duffle bag on her shoulder once again trying to find a comfortable spot for the strap. She frowned thinking about the contents I’m such a fail at being a girl. Most girls carry around their cell phone and lipstick in cute little purses. I carry around my sparring gear and kobudo weapons in a heavy duffle bag she thought to herself.  
She sighed heavily and continued down the street drinking heavily out of her water bottle. The rest of the walk home was going to be quiet and bland without someone to talk to. But at least the house should be quiet for a while. After all Seth was supposed to be having a Motocross tournament that was supposed to take up most of the day. She could shower in peace, wash her gi and then take a look at the crest that was coming loose on sleeve. She dumped the last of the water in her bottle over her head.  
She finally turned onto to her street. A quiet little cul de sac with her family’s large farm house resting directly across from her. Her father had inherited it from his grandfather. And one of the few memories she has of her mother was helping the family to paint the house a soft pastel green. Despite the fact a large rowdy family lived in the house it was always in good repair. Partly because Haruka and her siblings respected how old the house was and what it meant to her father. And partly because no matter what they did at least one of them could fix whatever it was the broke.  
She heard someone approach her from behind. Their foot falls silent and attempting to mimic her own. She decided to ignore them. That was until they reached forward and yanked on the strap of her duffle bag pulling her backwards. She twisted and gave a warning kick to whoever it was.  
Her brother Seth laughed and jumped back out of range. “And there goes Haru launching one of her famous thrust kicks!” Seth smirked with his sports game style announcement. Like their father, he was always smiling. The two of them considered themselves twins, since despite being half siblings they were only months apart.  
Seth had inherited his mother’s blonde feathery hair and friendly blue eyes, but the dark olive complexion of their shared father that Haru had as well. They were both short and lean like their father too. Haru had inherited her mother’s lighter brown hair, just a few shades off from blonde. But she’d gotten her father’s stormy grey eyes. The pseudo-twins’ features were similar enough to see a familial resemblance. But it wasn’t until people saw them interact that they realised they were siblings.  
“Seth! How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me! I’m seriously going to hurt you one of these days without meaning to!” Haru playfully scolded her blonde half-brother who laughed at her.  
They shared the same lopsided grin and thoughtful smirk as they stared at one another. Haru’s eyes dropped down to the helmet clutched in Seth’s hand. Realizing he was still in his jumpsuit that was covered in mud. Her stomach dropped realizing he might be home early because he’d lost, or maybe his bike had broken down.  
Seth noticed her gaze on his helmet. He dropped his head and his shoulders sagged. Haru was just getting ready to comfort him when he glanced up with a grin and held his helmet up.  
“Guess who got first place!” he shouted excitedly with his sweat plastering his blonde hair to his head.  
“What? No way!” Haru yelled and pounced on her brother embracing him tightly. She’d only missed his motocross tournament because she was training for her first state wide team tournament. The leader of her team had been out of the country the past several weeks, only having returned today. Which meant she’d been focused on getting her team in order and making training schedules.  
They spun around yelling and cheering excitedly as they hugged. The two were as close as could be. Seth’s accomplishments meant just as much to Haru as they did to him. They shared their pride in accomplishments and disappointments in failure together. She wouldn’t know what to do with herself if she didn’t have her other half.  
“I told you that you’d win!” she chided him remembering how nervous he was at dinner the night before. She knew he was anxious because he never once offered his opinions on her tournament preparations. Even when she purposely began spouting the most ridiculous training regimes she could think of.  
“I know you did. And you were totally right, it was all in my head. Like I just couldn’t stop shaking until I was given the go ahead. And then zoom I was off and tearing up the course like you wouldn’t believe! There was a full minute between me and second place!” Seth explained to her excitedly, “We’re having barbeque tonight to celebrate!”  
“Oh my gosh I love you even more now for getting us meat for dinner!” Haru yelled out happily and teasingly. There was a long running family joke about meals with meat because meat sometimes got pricey for a family of eight who were all hearty eaters.  
“Hey idiots can you step yelling and tackling each other in the middle of the street?!” Antonio, their second eldest brother, yelled at them from their door step. The siblings released one another immediately knowing better than to test Tony’s patience.  
“I’m so totally beating you to the doorstep!” Haru shouted out competitively grinning wickedly at her brother. The two ran for the door sprinting at full speed. When they got to the porch Seth suddenly shoulder checked her. When she stumbled she snatched him to take him down with her and the two went flying onto the front lawn wrestling with one another. It became a game of who could get the other in a hold first. And neither were exactly pulling punches. Antonio sighed in frustration and pulled them off of one another, as he adjusted his glasses.  
“I said knock it off you two!” He barked. He’d always had the least patience among her brothers. The most stern and strict as well. But everyone loved him for his sense of responsibility and keeping the house in order.  
“Yes sir.” Seth and Haru said in unison trying their best to be serious. But whenever they met each other’s eyes they’d smirk or giggle.  
Antonio had been the one to step up around the house after they lost their mother and their father was swamped with work. He moved back to their farm house from his apartment three cities over. When they were younger Tony ran the house hold while taking on free-lance work. Now that they were coming to the end of High School Antonio was planning on moving back to his old apartment for better job opportunities.  
“Seth, your gear better be cleaned up right after dinner,” Tony glared at his younger half-brother who stopped giggling and swallowed. Though Haru adored Seth, he wasn’t exactly on the best terms with all of his family members. Antonio in particular only seemed to tolerate him.  
“Yes sir.” Seth mumbled.  
“The garage better be cleaner than it was this morning.”  
The front door suddenly swung open and snagged everyone’s attention. Subaru poked his head out of the door and grinned. He was the eldest of seven, and the only one to inherit their mother’s full height and then some. Unlike Antonio he hadn’t dropped everything to come home and help, instead he continued working abroad and would come home when he could. His last time abroad had been for five whole years, living with family relatives while he taught English in Japan.  
Haru was glad to have him home, especially now with her tournament coming up. Furthermore it seemed Subaru had finally decided to settle down. He was opening his own dojo, where he’d be teaching the sword techniques that he’d learned while abroad. He’d already purchased the space in the next town over, and was looking for an apartment. He would always be a bus ride away.  
It was Subaru who’d put Haru in martial arts when she’d proven to be a less than stellar ballerina at five. He seemed to have known she had a talent for punching and not pirouetting like their parents had expected.  
“Not to be interrupting but Dad and I have started the barbeque and I can’t leave it, making dinner for eight hearty eaters after all.” Subaru announced with a grin, “Can’t disappoint our champion of the day!”  
Seth beamed happily at that and brushed past Antonio into the house. Haru shrugged and followed her twin taking time to put her bag away neatly not wanting to get an earful from Antonio about her things being hastily tossed aside.  
“Would I have time to get changed?” Haru asked Subaru nodding her head at the stairs.  
“I think we’d all prefer that so we wouldn’t have to smell you,” Subaru teased back. Seth pinched his nose and made a retching sound. Haru rolled her eyes with a huff and bounced upstairs. She tore off her uniform and showered quickly.  
She flexed playfully before the mirror as she studied her new haircut. When she’d started swimming with Samantha at the start of the summer her hair had been long enough to get in her way, but too short to tie up. So she’d taken it upon herself to get it hacked off into a short pixie cut to make it more manageable. Done with her playing around she quickly slipped on a pair of sweats and a baggy sweater.  
“HARU! FOOD!” Subaru’s deep voice bellowed from downstairs and she burst out of the room. She sprinted for the stairs and slid down the bannister.  
“You better not be sliding down the bannister!” Antonio scowled from the kitchen. Judging from the clattering of dishes he was the one setting the table.  
“I’m not!” Haruka called back as she crashed into the silverware drawer reaching in for an assorted handful of dinnerware. Antonio made some sort of displeased sound behind her and Subaru snickered. She reached into the fridge to snag a drink and then kicked the screen door to the backyard open. She dumped the silverware on the large patio table as she cracked open her drink.  
“To the champion of steel horses!” she declared jokingly as she lifted her drink into the air. She was met with a chorus of “here here’s” and the family collapsed into a fit of laughter. She tossed herself in the chair next to Seth who’d peeled off his muddied track suit by this time and was in his underclothes.  
Her father turned around with a large smile from the barbeque. In his hands was a tray full of burgers and dogs for them to chow down on. Antonio of course had taken it upon himself to have already laid out all the condiments that any of them would ask for. The whole family seemed to share the gut reflex to deeply inhale the charming scent of the food.  
“Once this tray goes down on the table it is every man for himself!” Her father declared proudly. However, he didn’t really need to say it. The second the tray was down they were all reaching for something to eat.  
“Man, you cannot believe how proud I am of you,” Sora remarked between bites of his burger as he grinned at Seth. He worked as a mechanic and picked up jobs as a handyman here and there as well. He’d done motocross when he was younger. Sora acted both as Seth’s personal mechanic and mentor. After Haruka he was probably the closest to Seth. According to Subaru, Sora had been on the outskirts of the family before Seth. So he’d taken it upon himself to mend the rift by helping out with the new member of the family. Haru had heard rumors about Sora here and there, but the Sora she knew was responsible and put together.  
Seth beamed, “It’s all because I have the greatest mechanic anyone could ask for.”  
“Don’t forget I come cheap,” Sora winked.  
“That you do,” Seth agreed. He put down his burger to pantomime bowing to Sora appreciatively.  
“If you’re not going to eat that…” Subaru taunted as he teased reaching for Seth’s burger. Seth tried to squawk out a defence but his voice cracked and the table dissolved into laughter. Subaru snagged a hot dog instead and as he loaded it up with condiments he glanced at Haru, “So, team captain’s back now. How are your preparations for the tournament coming?”  
Her whole family looked at her eagerly, they’d all been at Seth’s tournament so there was no need to pester Seth for details. And they’d probably already discussed the whole affair during the car ride back. She smiled as she finished the last of her own burger.  
“Went really well. Ethan finally came back from his trip. So we got him up to speed on the choreography which wasn’t all that hard. The team’s gotten really great at their positions. And I guess not having the person we decided to put at the front of our formation was actually a massive benefit. They didn’t get reliant on following him and learned the timing themselves,” Haru explained, “The most difficult part was getting him up to speed with the bunkai.”  
“Didn’t you come up with it yourself?” Seth said through a mouthful of his burger.  
Haruka blushed, “Well it’s not exactly a creation of my own. I just studied hours of footage from tournaments and sort of Frankensteined what I liked together. I think you guys are giving me more credit then I’m due.”  
“Maybe the individual techniques are not your own. But it still takes a skilled martial artist to realise which ones best fit together. You not only had to look for techniques that individually stood out and represented an application of the kata but you also had to find ones that complimented one another and flowed together,” Subaru assured her, “That takes far more skill then merely interpreting what a pattern is.”  
Haruka’s cheeks redoubled their blush and she was aware it stretched from the roots of her hair to her neck. She ducked her head embarrassed at the praise. She grabbed a hot dog for an excuse to stuff her mouth and not have to respond.  
“I still don’t get why you aren’t team captain,” Sora commented as he folded his arms, “You’ve done the most work. I mean choosing the team members, planning out the routine, formation and scheduling all the training sessions.”  
“This is what happens when you only do enough to get to brown belt,” Seth teased, “You don’t learn anything about the politics that us poor black belts suffer through.”  
Haruka rolled her eyes. Subaru huffed beside her and frowned, “It can’t be helped. It’s a Western style dojo, it’s not just a learning space but a business that needs to profit. That’s the issue with the dojos here.”  
Everyone at the table groaned or rolled their eyes bracing themselves for another one of Subaru’s rants about the differences between dojos in America and Japan. Having been born and raised in Japan he knew far more about the topic then any of them. Subaru frowned and looked unimpressed.  
“Look, the only reason Ethan got team captain was because of his father and his age,” Subaru sighed grumpily.  
“Can we just focus on the fact I’m going to the state championships?” Haruka pipped up eagerly and the table erupted in excited cheers. Hands and feet drummed. The table continued to chatter excitedly amongst themselves. Seth being asked to recount an experience or two from the tournament for Haru to hear. Dinner was over quickly enough and once everyone had eaten their fill and had a chance to digest a game of pass the pigskin had started up.  
The family split up into groups of four to wrestle over the football. They played until the sun went down and then retired to the living room to crowd around the television together. They watched a few shows before Subaru asked if he could play some videos from his recent trip and the family agreed. Haru would admit in a heartbeat her brother wasn’t going to be winning any photography awards any time soon. But at least he knew when the best time to pull out a camera was.  
Soon enough everyone was yawning and called it a night, exhausted from the day’s events. As Haru sleepily made her way upstairs her phone went off. It was a message from her team captain to meet up the next day to discuss the tournament. She grinned as she replied that she’d be more than happy.


	2. Chapter 2

Haruka had awoken the next morning with purpose. Unsure of whether the team captain just wanted to talk or practice she made sure to dress in athletic wear. She was waiting on the front porch of her house when Samantha rolled up in her car. She bounded down her front lawn and tossed herself in the passenger seat.

“Someone’s eager for swim practice,” Samantha chuckled. She was already in her suit and jammers with a jacket thrown over top. Haruka grinned eager to share her plans for the day.

“Team captain messaged me last night and wants to talk to me. I bet he’s going to thank me for all my work, heck maybe we get to be co-captains.” Haruka excitedly shared with her friends who squealed excitedly. They got to the community pool soon enough.

Samantha carried in a white board that was scribbled in full colour coordinated detail what they were to do. She set it up on the deck over what had become their unofficial designated lane. The two girls jumped in and shrieked at the cool temperature of the pool before getting started on their training. Haruka was still trying to perfect her strokes so that her form was just as spotless as Samantha’s. She’d given up long ago on trying to beat her friend in a race. She figured focusing on technique first would mean less disappointment. If swimming all summer taught Haruka anything it was that all her experience in sparring had prepared her for was decent endurance in sprint like activities. Samantha on the other hand could probably swim all day without a break while keeping a decent pace.

When they were done they rested together in the sauna. Sweat covered and exhausted.

“You’re front crawl is really good. Breast stroke is still a bit wonky and I really don’t get what’s going on with your back crawl,” Samantha told Haruka as she leaned her head on Haru’s shoulder. She giggled, “Really, I don’t get what’s up with it. If I did I’d tell you how to fix it. Have you been keeping track of your sprints? I think your twenty five metres have gotten better.”

“Not as good as yours,” Haruka groaned.

“Yeah but just like how you’ve been doing Karate forever I’ve been doing swimming forever. It’d be an embarrassment if you showed me up,” Samantha laughed, “I’m glad we get all this training in together. I’m thinking next year to get a scholarship through swimming.”

“You’ll get it no problem,” Haurka assured her, “You swim like you’re the Little Mermaid on steroids. You and your glamazon legs.”

Samantha giggled and the two red faced girls slipped out of the sauna before they overheated. The pool deck seemed freezing and they rushed to the showers to warm up again. They showered and changed and Samantha helpfully dropped Haruka off at the bistro she was meeting her team captain at.

She rested outside the bistro waiting for her team captain to appear. They’d been training for almost the same amount of time despite him being a few years older. Since Haru managed to pass through the belt ranks faster than Seth, it was more often than not that Ethan and Haruka found themselves in the same division at tournaments. The two of them had been competing since a young age. If anything Ethan was the closest thing Haruka had to a rival.

Ethan had gotten a little distant recently. Haruka attributed that to stress about starting University. He didn’t talk to her outside of class anymore, and would occasionally slight her during classes as well. Since his father was one of the most senior ranking instructors he’d gotten far more leeway with his behaviour than her. Something he’d really only begun to take advantage of recently.

Haruka was flipping through her phone when someone tapped her shoe. She glanced up to see Ethan giving her a curt nod of his head. She smiled and the two of them slipped into the restaurant. They got a table and each ordered something light to snack on.

Ethan reached into his bag and withdrew his laptop. Setting it between Haruka and himself. He opened it and began typing away on it while Haruka sat in her chair fidgeting awkwardly unsure of what to do. She prodded at the pastry she’d ordered and sipped on her hot chocolate. The two of them sat in silence while Ethan worked away on something on his laptop, the screen reflected in his glasses. Haruka began getting increasingly agitated from the lack of conversation and turned to bouncing her knees and flipping her phone on and off again.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity Ethan glanced up at her clearing his throat, “So we should talk about the tournament. It’s a really big deal for everyone involved, and it means a lot to the dojo as well.”

Haruka nodded her head, “Yes I agree.”

“And you’ve done a lot really, I can’t thank you enough for all of your work. With my first semester just starting I’ve had a lot to do and wouldn’t have been able to get half of what you’ve done completed.” Ethan stated as he adjusted the glasses resting on his nose.

“Happy to be of help team captain!” she beamed happily with a grin.

“That’s why this decision has been really tough, but I think I’ve made the right choice,” Ethan announced, and Haruka quirked a brow in confusion. 

What decision? She wondered quizzically. Ethan shifted and cleared his throat. He was never very decisive or assured of himself outside of the dojo. He met her eyes with a very serious expression on his face.

“I’ve decided that you’re off the team.”

Haruka blinked and then shook her head unsure that she’d heard him correctly. She leaned back in her chair to take it in. She was aware that her brows were furrowed together as she stared at him. She took several breaths of air in before she responded.

“What?! I’m off the team?” She responded.

“Yes, I’ve decided that it’s better if you’re off the team for everyone,” Ethan nodded.

“But why? What? I can’t,” Haruka babbled stupidly unable to comprehend what was happening. A sick sort of feeling was settling into the bottom of her stomach.

Ethan sighed, “It wasn’t an easy decision to come to. But I think you’re simply too young to be representing the dojo at such a large event. We will win which means from there we’ll only be going to bigger and bigger stages. I don’t want your inexperience to hold us back.”

“We’re two years apart! I’ve been doing Karate longer than you have,” she retorted.

“Look this is just as important to me as the dojo alright? It’s going to look great on my applications to Law School if I win a state championship my first time being team captain,” he explained to her, “And I’m not going to let some little high school girl take that from me.”

“You were in high school this time last year! I’m the one who’s done all the work. I’m one of the strongest competitors on the team. I don’t understand,” Haruka argued back beginning to get angry.  
“See! This is exactly why, you’re too emotional. Look I’m grateful for all your work. You’ve really brought the team together. But I can’t afford for you to mess things up,” Ethan assured her with a pat on her arm. She jerked back from his touch and hissed.

“This is ridiculous! This is my team!” Haru shouted at Ethan still in utter disbelief at the turn in events, “I know you’re team captain but I’m the one who has done all the work! I’ve made the choreography and trained the team.”

“Like you said I’m team captain.” He shrugged leaning away from her as he took a sip of his coffee.

“You can’t just take all my work like that! It’s not fair!” She argued as her foot stomped on the ground.

“I can and I will.” He stated plainly.

Her hands fisted by her side as her nose flared, “Did Sensei say you can do that?”

“He’ll be fine with it. We need a team that will win. And I’m sorry to say but we just can’t have someone as young as you representing the team.”

Haru thought back to all the work she put in. All the scheduling for practices, and coordinating which kata they’d use and determining the bunkai to go with it. She’d sacrificed so much of her free time, it had been like homework every night for the past two months. Her hands fisted by her sides and she pressed her lips together, but she couldn’t say anything as Ethan was her senpai.

“I’m talking to Sensei about this,” she stated and turned around to hide her anger. Ethan made a dismissive noise behind her. She pushed out of the store the chimes over the door ringing and stepped out onto the street. She glanced back at Ethan who settled in behind his laptop and went back to typing away.

She turned back to the street and set her shoulders square. She took in a breath to calm down and looked around for somewhere to hang out for some time to cool off. She’d planned to spend an hour with Ethan, having expected to run through everything they’d practiced and planned. There were a handful of restaurants and cafes, even a book store.

She realized with a grin that she’d never paid for her food and drink which meant that Ethan would. If he complained she’d tell him it was the least he could do for kicking her off the team. She decided that she’d check if the bookstore had any new shonnen manga to pick through. But as she stepped out onto the street her phone buzzed in her pocket.

“Hey,” she answered without looking at the caller ID. She hoped she didn’t sound impatient or angry.

“How’s the tournament practice going?” Subaru asked her curiously with a big grin.

“Not good, Ethan says I’m off the team.” She struggled not to growl.

“What? Do you need me to go talk to Sensei?” Subaru asked her worriedly.

“No, this is my tournament I want to handle it myself.” Haruka responded with a deep inhale trying to centre herself and not throw a fit. Ethan had said it had been her immaturity that had gotten her off the team. If she created a scene it would only prove him right. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“How about instead we chill out together huh? I was going to ask if you could swing by and meet me by my dojo when you were done your training session. But you could come over now instead.” Subaru offered and Haruka huffed glad that there was a distraction.

“I’d like that. You’re going to have to wait though since I need to catch a bus out there,” She answered.

“It’ll give you plenty of time to calm down on your way over. I still remember about your temper,” Subaru laughed and she made a noise of insult at that jab, “Alright you go catch that bus and message me when you’re near. I’ve got a surprise that I think you’d really like.”

Haruka softened, “Thanks Subaru,” she murmured. The two of them quickly said their goodbyes and she hung up looking for the nearest bus stop. Haruka sat down at the stop and huffed angrily swinging her legs as she waited for it. Just as the bus was coming down the street a breathless Ethan showed up in front of her.

“Hey you forgot to pay for your food!” He exclaimed at her angrily. Haruka glanced down the street at the bus gauging how long it’d take for it to pull up. She then glanced back at Ethan. With a shrug she decked him just as the bus pulled up to the curb. It wasn’t a full forced punch, just a rabbit jab. But it had done its intended job. Ethan was doubled over as he covered his injured eye.

“Guess you’re right I’m too immature for the team,” she spat as she hopped on the bus. She knew it was immature. She knew it was going to get her in trouble and would probably only help Ethan’s case. She was going to feel bad about it later. But as of right now it felt really great to hit him in the face.

The bus driver was looking concernedly at Ethan as Haruka tossed her handful of change into the deposit box.

“Bad break up,” she shrugged and the bus driver nodded still looking confused but printed her a transfer slip anyways. She crossed to the back of the bus and found an isolated seat to settle into. The bus ride was long as she’d expected. She messaged Samantha about the unfortunate news, and tried to turn negative into positive stating now that she could help Samantha with her grading instead.

I hope you punched him Samantha jokingly responded.

I kinda did Haruka admitted.

OMG you haven’t hit anyone like that since Trevor in middle school! Are you going to get in trouble? Samantha responded.

Probably, I mean dojo rules are clear we’re not supposed to go around hitting people as we please. Haruka responded as the unease in her stomach worsened. She really had just made things worse.  
Well he deserved it Samantha responded and Haruka chuckled. I’ve got to go, mom wants me to try on a new dress for my next pageant.

Ok! Have fun! Haruka responded and went back to fiddling with her phone to find a means to entertain herself before she got to the next town over. She debated messaging the rest of the team to notify them of the change, but since she couldn’t write a polite message she decided to write no message at all. She’d let them figure it out for themselves. She fiddled with her phone some more, playing with her apps.

Finally the bus chugged along to Haruka’s destination and she tossed a message to Subaru. He picked her up at the bus stop with a smile. Haruka forced herself to smile back and he wrapped her into a warm embrace.

“Hey, cheer up monkey,” Subaru comforted her as he gave her a warm squeeze, “It’s just one tournament. You’re young and skilled. Something great will come of that.”

She pressed her lips together and melted, “Thanks.”

“So are you ready to see my dojo?” Subaru asked her excitedly, “I wanted you to see it first because I think it means the most to you.”

Karate had been a huge bonding point for Haruka and Subaru. He’d been the one to realize that she was suffering in ballet. She couldn’t stand the dresses and the fact she couldn’t move as gracefully as the other girls. He recognized her growing frustrations and made her skip class one day to go to the dojo instead. For the next few weeks it had been their little secret until Subaru revealed to their father that Haruka was going for the first stripe on her white belt. 

For the longest time it had just been the two of them going together. Haruka had excelled at it and pushed herself to impress Subaru in class and make him proud. When Subaru went away on trips she’d learn a new kata to show him when he got home. If Antonio was her replacement mother, than Subaru was her second father. He’d been the one to take her on her first deer hunt, had shown her how to strip the carcass bare. And even though a few of her other siblings had joined karate it had never meant as much to the others. 

“I’m really glad you chose me,” Haruka told her brother as she hugged him back, “It means a lot to me that I get to see this first.”

Subaru smiled warmly, “Well, I was thinking while I was at Grandpa and Grandma’s place you never actually got to go there. Everyone but you and Seth got to spend at least a few years living there, and ever since we moved back to the States we’ve never gone as a full family to visit.”

“So I thought to myself if I can’t take you to Japan, then I’d bring a little bit of it back with me for you. Granddad talked to me a lot while I was there, about a lot of things. Things about our family I never knew before,” Subaru explained, “And it really made me realise how important it is to be with family. I’m going to talk to dad. I want you to come and meet your grandparents. This summer it’ll be you and me.”

Haruka perked up and her eyes widened in excitement, “Really? You and me in Japan? No way!”

“For now though you’ll have to settle for what I’ve brought back with me,” Subaru teased and reached into his pocket, “I’ll let you do the honours of unlocking the place.”

Haruka was bouncing giddily with excitement the second the key landed in her hand. She squeezed the key tightly and squealed in excitement. Subaru laughed as he smacked her on the back.

“When we’re done here how about we grab a bite?” Subaru offered.

“My day could literally not get any better,” she announced. 

The two of them chattered as they continued down the street before coming to a stop before Subaru’s dojo. Haruka took in the exterior. It was almost identical to what she had envisioned. She bounded to the door sliding the key in giddily. Her whole body shaking with excitement. She swung the door in and stepped into Subaru’s dojo. The place smelled of new paint, the freshly washed tatami mats and Windex that had been used on the mirrors. Suabru slipped in behind her flicking the lights on and inputting the security code to shut the alarm off.

Haru’s eyes scanned the room taking in all the new equipment and tools. She eventually settled on the front of the dojo which was positioned to the East as it should be with the kamisa set up to respect all the past instructors. She slipped her shoes off sliding them to be toes facing out towards the doorway. She stepped onto the edge of the dojo floor and bowed politely.

She strode to the centre of the dojo floor and glanced around in awe. Subaru had managed to find a nice large open space. He had a decently stocked wall of weapons for his students to borrow, and she was jealous of the neatly organized rack that her dojo lacked. She glanced up at the kamisa but didn’t recognize some of the instructors.

“So you like it?” Subaru asked her excitedly, “I called a girl I went to high school with to help me paint the place so it looked more like a traditional dojo.”

Haruka glanced over the walls. They had been painted to feel like they were made out of paper and wood and not dry wall. It was a very convincing illusion. She nodded her head in agreement as a smile stretched on her face.

“That’s not the only thing I wanted you to see either. I’ve got a surprise from Japan that I haven’t told anyone else about.” Subaru whispered excitedly.

“Hey Subaru why are we whispering?” she whispered back.

“I think it’s just because I’m excited,” Subaru responded with a laugh. He trotted across the mats and she followed to find a hidden alcove that lead to an office. Subaru gestured for her to wait outside and she waited impatiently. She shifted from foot to foot as she waited. She glanced over at the images on the kamisa trying to focus in on the unfamiliar ones to see if she could identify them.

He came back with a complete daisho in his hands. Haruka’s mouth jaw dropped in awe at the elegant pair of blades. They were old, she could tell that much. But they’d been well cared for, the years had not been unkind to them.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they? Grandfather gave it to me,” Subaru whispered to her his voice filled with awe, “He showed me how to properly care for them. They’ve been in the family for generations, and he asked that I carry them in our mother’s place.”

Haruka’s hands were itching to hold them, to feel their weight in her hand. She watched as Subaru marveled over them.

“There’s a lot of history in these swords Haruka. They had to be hidden during the world wars. I had to help Grandpa dig them up,” Subaru breathed, “They haven’t been used since the Meiji era. Since then they’ve just been for display.”

“The Meiji era,” Haruka repeated and glanced up at her brother excitedly.

“Apparently we had family members associated with the Satsuma clan, and family members associated with the Shinsengumi,” Subaru explained, “Grandpa didn’t tell me much more outside of that. We’ll sit down for lunch someday, I’ll tell you all about it. And then he’ll tell you more when we go.”

Haruka nodded her head. She was only half listening too entranced by the swords in front of her.

Subaru laughed at her excited face, “You’re just itching to touch these aren’t you?”

He passed her the katana, and the second the scabbard touched her hand she felt a jolt of electricity run through her. She felt the weight of hundreds of years and the lives this sword had taken fallen over her. Her excitement was still there but she’d been hushed by the enormity of the seriousness of this.

It wasn’t as physically heavy as she’d thought it’d be. But the sword seemed to bear a soul of its own and that was what was heavy. Her right hand shifted over to the hilt and she wrapped it around it squeezing tightly. Her breathing was shallow as she held onto the blade. Exhilarated as if she’d just fought a battle. There was a great weight crushing down on her now.

“I knew you’d like that,” Subaru chuckled, “Now I know you’re just getting to know each other but I’m going to ask you to put the real sword away while I show you how to use it.”

Haruka handed him back the sword which he carefully stowed aside. She watched as he retrieved two wooden bokken. He tossed her one and she caught it easily. She’d handled a bokken a few times before in seminars and from a few impromptu training sessions with Subaru. But her hands more familiar with the feel of a bo staff or even a pair of tonfa.

“Alright, now for me to show you my new moves,” Subaru informed her. The two of them shifted to the centre of the training area and bowed respectively to the kamisa and then each other. Subaru began running her through some exercises. They practiced side by side with Subaru giving instruction. When he was satisfied enough with her technique the two of them worked on partner work.

Subaru of course was handing her ass to her on a platter. She was managing to hold her ground but she definitely wasn’t going to be winning any sword fights any time soon. She was good enough that she could block and evade his strikes. But not good enough to go onto the offensive without exposing herself. Her evasion and agility was mainly attributed to the other martial arts she knew. However, her lack of experience in handling a bokken was what held back her offensive abilities.

Haruka was the reason that they stopped practicing. She begged Subaru to give her a second to breathe. The two of them were both doubled over and panting for breath. Subaru was swiping sweat from his brow as Haruka sat on the ground feeling like she’d just dragged herself out of a boxing ring. She already had bruises starting on her arms.

“So, did that make you feel better?” Subaru asked her breathlessly.

“Totally. I feel like I could fight a ronin in a dark alley now,” Haruka panted as she collapsed back on the tatami mats exhaustedly. Her bokken stretched out across her stomach.

“I’m taking the daisho home with me tonight to show everyone,” Subaru told her, “So maybe after dinner I’ll let you practice with a real sword.”

“Sounds amazing,” Haruka replied and grinned, “So, lunch?”

Subaru laughed. The two of them got back to their feet and cleaned up the dojo space together. Once it was cleaned they bowed to the kamisa again and trotted to the edge of the dojo space. Haruka bowed as she stepped off the dojo floors and reached for her sneakers. 

They were well-worn runners that could probably do with being replaced. She was planning on replacing them last month but had gotten distracted some shonnen manga Samantha had dug up at the local bookstore. The laces were mismatched from being replaced. The heels were decorated in notes from her friends written in sharpie.

Brother and sister clambered out of the dojo and into Subaru’s large pickup truck. He drove them to a nearby taco truck. Each of them put in a small order.

“Thank you for cheering me up,” Haruka told her brother with a grin.

“What’s a big brother for?” Subaru insisted. They drove home afterwards and Haruka realised her whole weekend had been used up. She’d have to wake up and go to school the next day. 

After dinner she did go outside with Subaru to practice. Using a real katana for the first time was the closest to a magical experience that Haruka had ever experienced. For her this was her coming down the stairs in a dress and heels for prom night moment. Her breath as it slipped in and out of her was shaky in both excitement and fear. It was a true honor to hold such an amazing tool.

But it also made her feel like a child. It brought to light all of her inexperience and weaknesses. It reminded her that she was inferior to the previous owners of this blade. She was just a child playing make-believe. She wanted to make her ancestors proud. A fire was lit in her belly to train harder and impress the hands that had held this weapon before her.

She stopped when she was sweaty and exhausted with a grin she dragged herself upstairs to shower and collapse in her bed. She groaned the next morning and it took several moments of bargaining with herself to get out of bed. Yawning she dragged herself in front of the mirror to brush her teeth. She stumbled sleepily down the stairs to make a fruit smoothie for breakfast.

“Maybe you should have taken it a little easier yesterday sis,” Seth teased her.

She groaned and rolled her eyes, “Says the boy who spent most of yesterday sitting in an ice bath.”

The two of them snatched up their bags and slipped on their shoes to walk to school. Seth asked her about yesterday and she relayed the details of her time with Ethan and most of what had happened with Subaru.

“Do you think he’ll take me too?” Seth asked her.

Haruka paused she hadn’t thought at all about Seth yesterday with regards to the offer to go to Japan. He didn’t have any familial ties there. He was the reason that their father was never welcomed back by Haruka’s grandparents. But he still had emotional ties to go there just like her.

“Well I won’t go unless you can come too,” she assured him and gave him a side hug. They wandered into what seemed like just any other day of classes. Of course Haruka couldn’t wait for a moment alone to tell Samantha about her brother’s daisho. Samantha of course reacted like how Haruka expected, jumping up and down and clapping her hands as she squealed and Haruka joined in as well. As the two of them were getting out of class she got a voicemail from Subaru.

“Hey sis I hope that you’re feeling better over yesterday. I’ve got an idea to make you feel better, but first could you run my katana to the dojo for me? I want to talk to Sensei about a few things for tomorrow’s class. I’m also going to announce the opening of my dojo tomorrow.” 

Haruka grinned and she texted her reply. Sure thing, I’m on my way home right now. I’ll do it then.

She only hung around long enough for her group of friends to gather together and they set off. The group shrank and shrank until it was just down to Samantha and Haruka. The girl’s laughed and chatted until it was time to part ways. 

Haruka got home and stripped off her school uniform to get into athletic wear so she could go for a run when she was done her errand. She grabbed her brother’s katana and strapped it to her back figuring that would look less intimidating.

She set off immediately for her dojo. The sword thumped along her back. It felt like a stranger and a friend. The weight was familiar and it felt like she’d carried it a thousand times before. But at the same time it felt foreign and strange. She was stopped at a cross walk thinking about that odd sensation, staring at the blinking red hand. An electric current was coursing through her spinal column and her hair felt like it was staring on end. The sensation was unnerving and making her afraid. She shifted from foot to foot as her hands fisted and unfisted by her sides. She glanced over to the pond over to her left.

“Help me!” a voice cried out and Haruka turned around looking for the source, “Please! Help me!”

She glanced around her confused her heart thumping violently in her chest. She did her best to get control over her breathing as she searched for the person who needed her help. Suddenly a hand slammed into her chest pushing her back as a girl ran past her. 

“Someone help!” the terrified girl cried out. Haruka only paused long enough to register that the girl was wearing a furisode. She sprinted after the blonde beauty aware that there was something coming after the two of them.

“Let me help you!” She yelled at the girl. She caught up to the other girl easily and snatched her wrist. The girl’s brilliant ruby eyes swept up to hers and widened as they found Haruka’s sword. An awed sort of look crossed her features as the ruby eyes swept to Haruka’s stormy ones. Haruka wasn’t exactly sure how to explain it but she felt her heart thudded oddly in her chest.

“Behind you!” the girl cried. Haru turned putting herself between the girl and the threat. There were several specter like creatures rushing towards them. If Haruka were to explain them she’d saw demonic. The vaguely humanoid figures lunged towards them with their clawed hands.

“Get behind me!” Haru cried and faced the beasts down. She took a steadying breath and reached for the blade on her back. Her hand closed around the hilt of the sword just as the mysterious girl snatched Haru’s arm.

“I don’t have much time! You can’t fight those things! But I need your help-” she started in a rush but was quickly cut off as one of the specters unleashed a ghostly tendril that shot forwards and snatched her arm. The girl yelped in pain and without thinking about it Haruka drew her brother’s sword slashing down on the ghostly tendril. Black ink like blood splattered as the creature shrieked so loudly that Haru had to cover her ears. She and the girl stumbled back away from it.

The girl shook off the tendril that flopped around on the ground. Haruka lunged forwards with her blade to thrust it into the creature black blood spluttering on her face. She kicked the beast away and turned to face the next one.

“I came here to ask for you for help!” the girl pleaded with her. Haruka glanced back at her giving her a nod of assurance. Another creature lunged for the girl and Haruka went to intercept it. “I need you to-”

The girl didn’t have a chance to finish before the shadowy demon moved faster than Haruka could. Its hand slammed into her and Haruka was hurled backwards away from the girl she was trying to protect. She tucked her chin and pulled her arms in. She hit the pavement hard and rolled. She struggled up to her feet but just as suddenly as it had all started it was all over. 

The girl, the creatures all of it was gone except for the tendril still writhing on the ground. Haru shakily stumbled towards it sheathing the sword and reaching out for it. But as soon as her fingers stretched towards it the tendril disappeared. She stood up spooked by what had happened, her heart pounded and her mind was racing madly trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. Her hands were shaking and her legs felt like jelly. But nonetheless she was relieved it was all over.

She wanted to sigh in relief but before she could her face was illuminated. She suddenly became aware of the blaring of a horn and screeching tires. The illumination had come from the headlights of an incoming truck. She heard the crash. Metal crunched as she hit the hood. Glass cracked when her head connected with the windshield. 

She was knocked straight off of her feet. She felt the crack resound through her. The collision shattered her bones as easily as breaking glass. She could see the front of the truck that had just crashed into her.

Is that what’s going to be left of me? A dented bumper coated in blood? Her mind thought as she flew from the impact. The air was knocked from her lungs and she felt herself go numb. She flew over the street and slammed hard into the side walk before rolling down the embankment on its side and falling down into the river.

She splashed into the water bubbles flying up all around her. She involuntarily breathed in the water. It rushed into her lungs and she choked on it. Her vision was going blurry and darkening. She struggled to stay awake and tried to kick for the surface. Again she made the mistake of breathing in water. She felt as it flooded down into her lungs. And then darkness swallowed her whole.


End file.
